Many tourists purchase souvenirs when traveling, especially when traveling to a popular location or to a location proximal to a particular natural or man-made feature that is famous or well-recognized. Even persons who say they do not buy souvenirs will readily admit that they do not buy them for themselves but rather for others. Usually, a person traveling to a famous destination on business or vacation while leaving a spouse or other loved one at home frequently would be found greatly remiss if he or she returned home without a souvenir of the location to present to the person who stayed home.
Unfortunately, souvenirs are often large and bulky and, when purchased early during the trip, must be lugged around until the end of the trip and ultimately packed into the traveler's luggage, which increases the bulk and weight of the luggage and poses a substantial risk that the souvenir will be damaged during the trip home.